Luminous Arc 2: The Love
by Rogue Leader Solo
Summary: A young magic wielding sword-master becomes the newest Rune Knight for a kingdom on the brink of war with the Beast Fiends and to aid in resolving the Witches' Conflict. But the new Rune Knight will soon find himself in the middle of an even larger conflict. He soon finds himself falling in love wth the one who is being blamed for all the trouble: Fatima, The Shadow Frost Witch
1. Chapter 1: The Swordsman

Roland sighed as he walked through the streets of Royal Carnava. He was in an unfamiliar town and he was sorry that he had left his home in the mountains far beyond Carnava's borders. Everyone kept staring at him, and it annoyed him. He guessed that his clothes were part of the reason people stared. He was dressed in a long red coat that fell to just below his shins and was split at the bottom; twice in the front and once in the back. The coat fit him perfectly, almost like a second skin and its blood-like color made him stand out from the crowd. He had spent considerable time customizing the coat; it was made of an extremely rare material called mythril, while it was as flexible and soft as silk, it provided an effective barrier against physical attacks. The mythril that he had used to create the coat was even rarer than regular mythril, for the mythril of his coat was a special kind that repelled some magical attacks in addition to repelling physical attacks. This gave him a great advantage over most adversaries. He wasn't invincible however; his head, neck, hands, and boot encased feet were not protected by the coat so he had to be careful to keep his sword skills sharp. Roland preferred using the katana that was sheathed on his left hip. The sword was forged of the same mythril as his coat but the blade was an iridescent silvery-white color. It was an unusual sword; it had an elegantly designed hilt with alternating bands of black and metallic-grey metal and a metallic-grey metal hilt guard that looked like a straight fang; rounded on one side and pointed on the opposite side, positioned so that the pointed side would face the enemy, and had a matching scabbard. Also the sword would only leave the sheath if, and only if, Roland drew it. Roland was a master swordsman and this mastery had saved his life on more than one occasion, when thieves or Beast Fiends attempted to end his life. Although he almost never used it, Roland was also a very skilled magic wielder. He had learned his spells from the books in his mountain home. Although he preferred using his sword, Roland had also worked hard to master the six elemental magical styles of Fire, Wind, Water, Nature, Light, and Shadow Frost. He had studied all the styles for nearly as long as he had studied swordsmanship and as a result, Roland could incorporate any magic element into his combat style.

Roland moved out of the way of a battalion of soldiers that were patrolling, he didn't want to have to fight those incompetent lackeys just because he was having a bad day. Their captain, though, was different; he was a bear of a man and held a long handled battle axe that could have doubled as a spear. His armor was light grey, large, and bulky with a red cape hanging from the back of the shoulder pieces. His armor identified him as a front line fighter, one that mowed down his opponents. He carried himself like a true warrior, despite his graying hair, which stuck out of the bottom of his helm. His hair was curled into rolls at the end, signifying that the man was of nobility. To round it off, he had a short grey moustache and a close-cropped short grey beard. His movements were not those of an amateur, this was no snobbish pampered geezer that bought his way into the military. No this man was a true soldier; one that reached his position through blood, sweat, and hard work. This man had _earned_ his rank. As they passed each other, Roland's eyes met the old soldier's and gave a curt nod as a sign of respect to the older man's skills.

The old man's reaction was similar, although his eyes slightly widened at the sight of the dark haired young man in his late teens to early twenties, clothed in a coat the color of fresh blood, carrying a strange sword on his hip and walking like a true warrior. He nodded his head in turn at the young man's sign of respect for a fellow warrior. The old man knew that the oddly clothed young man was no mere amateur trying to impress somebody. No, this young warrior knew how good he really was, and if the way he walked was any indication; he was a warrior of unbelievable caliber. '_By the Queen!_' The old veteran thought to himself, '_If I had half a score of soldiers like him, the Beast Fiends would be eradicated in no time!_' Turning to his men, the older soldier barked out commands, "Alright men! Continue your patrol and when you're finished return to the castle and help with the preparations for the festival tonight. I will join you later at the castle."

"YES SIR, CAPTAIN GASTON!" The men bellowed and moved to carry out their orders.

Gaston turned and hurried after the young swordsman. "Excuse me, young man!" He called out as he caught up with his quarry. The young man turned around, but didn't speak. Instead, he cocked an eyebrow and waited. "My name is Gaston, leader of the Tusk Squad. I couldn't help but wonder why someone as talented as you are hasn't joined the royal army in the service of Queen Sophia."

The young man regarded Captain Gaston with an expressionless face before replying. "I am not a subject of this country."

Surprised, Gaston blinked. "So you are a foreigner?" The young swordsman nodded. "Well in that case, please forgive my assumptions. To apologize I would like to invite you to the annual festival that this kingdom holds once a year, being held tonight. If you like I could have two of our knights in training show you around."

The young man nodded. "That would be most appreciated."

Gaston smiled. "Well then lad, come with me." Gaston strode off with the mysterious young man walking beside him. After a minute or so Gaston asked, "So where do you come from young man?"

"Far beyond Carnava's borders." Was the reply.

"Are there more people like you?"

"In what way?"

"Are there more people who are as skilled with swords as you are?"

"Perhaps, but I've never met anyone who was." The red clad youth glanced at Gaston. "Certainly not within Carnava."

Gaston nodded sadly. "Unfortunately we haven't been able to train our soldiers as well as we want because of the Beast Fiends and the Witch Conflict."

Puzzled, Roland looked at his companion. "Witch Conflict?"

"I'm surprised you haven't heard about it." Gaston remarked. "Apparently the Shadow Frost Witch is going against the Rev Magical Academy which is where the Brilliant Witch, the leader of the Magical Association lives."

"I see." The young man looked lost in thought.

Soon they arrived at the training grounds. Roland saw three people; one man about the same age as Gaston, wearing darkish blue hued armor, yelling instructions to two young people about Roland's age. Roland observed the older man with a critical eye. He was at least fifty years of age, but still carried himself like a young man. His head had no helm upon it, revealing that the man had his mid-length black hair tied back in a spikey ponytail. His armor was not as bulky as Gaston's, yet it still was enough to protect its wearer. Roland noted that his dominant hand was always near his sword. An experienced veteran then, one that has fought in many battles over the course of his life. Roland then turned his attention to the two younger persons that the old veteran was instructing. The first was a young man who was wielding a spear. He was encased in black armor with fur lining the collar. His head was free of any helm, exposing his short cropped red hair. The armor had few gaps that Roland could see, and hazard a guess that the boy relied more on defense then speed. Roland observed that he was handling the spear, which had a black shaft and a diamond shaped grey-black blade with a curved top and had a horsehair tassel hanging from the base of the blade, quite competently, but nowhere near master level. The last figure was a girl who carried a metal bow that had feather like protrusions extending from the end. She wore very light armor to allow for quick movement and agility. Although Roland mentally questioned why an archer would wear armor that appeared to only protect her modesty, as the armor only covered her breasts and nothing but a very short red skirt with white frills covered her lower region. Over her armor, the girl wore a brown short sleeved jacket that was cut off just under her chest armor. White sleeves extended from underneath the jacket sleeves, encasing her arms in the material. A quiver of arrows hung from her belt and her legs were encased in armor. Upon her brown hair, she wore a red beret. From what Roland could see, she was a skilled markswoman, but traded defense and protection for speed and maneuverability. Gaston led Roland over to the trio as the old man in blue hued armor called out. "Alright that's enough training for now!"

"Finally!" The young man said leaning on his spear. "Old man ya think you could go a bit easier on us next time?"

Outraged, the older man slapped the spear wielder with enough force to send the spear wielder staggering. "In battle you won't have the chance to rest so you might as well get used to it now!"

"Training again Steven?" Gaston called out as he and his young companion approached.

Steven spun around and saw his old friend. A smile lit on his face. "Gaston! What brings you here old friend?"

Gaston smiled, "Well I was hoping to borrow Rasche and Rina for tonight."

"Why's that? And who is your young friend here?" Steven regarded the silent red clad swordsman, noting his perfect stance and the determination in the youth's eyes as the two young people he had been drilling walked up and stood beside him.

"I'm afraid that I insulted this young man and to make it up to him I was hoping that Rasche and Rina here could show him around the festival as I will be needed to manage the fireworks display." Gaston explained.

Steven continued to stare at the young man, who met his gaze unflinching. A smile curved Steven's lips. "Well that would be fine with me. But first I'd like to see just how good this talented swordsman is."

"Oh c'mon dad. How do ya know he can even handle that sword? He doesn't even wear armor!" The young man complained, just before Steven turned and slapped him again. The young woman sighed.

"Rasche, this is exactly why you'll never become a great knight!" Steven exclaimed in frustration. "He may not wear armor but he is definitely one of the most talented swordsmen I've ever seen!"

Roland spoke up. "Who do you want me to fight?"

Steven turned and grinned. "Me." Gaston, Rasche and Rina gasped and looked at Steven in shock. Roland merely nodded and walked a short distance away. Steven looked at the others and said "You might want to back off to a safe distance." As the others backed up, Steven drew out his sword. Roland studied it, mentally mapping out his plan of attack. The straight edged-blade was of very fine quality and indicated care for it on almost a religious level. The hilt was wrapped in brown leather, with a simple grey cross guard. The pommel was capped in an elaborate design with a gemstone at the end. The sword was a hand-and-a-half style. This told Roland that Steven was more accustomed to using one hand but was well versed in using two hands. "First blood?" Steven asked.

"Agreed." Roland said as he drew his blade. The spectators and Steven stared at the sword; it was an unusual sword, of a design that none of them had ever seen; it had an elegantly designed hilt with alternating bands of black and metallic-grey metal and a metallic-grey metal hilt guard that looked like a straight fang; rounded on one side and pointed on the opposite side, positioned so that the pointed side would face the enemy. The actual blade itself was curved, indicating that the blade was designed more to cut and slash than to pierce and batter down an opponent. The color of the blade was also as unique as the rest of the sword; the blade was an iridescent silvery-white color, unlike the grey metal of his opponent's sword. He saluted Steven, who returned the salute, then Roland dropped into an unusual ready stance; evenly distributing his weight on both feet, with one foot ahead of the other forcing Roland's body to turn slightly, sword held so that its tip was pointed directly at Steven's eyes, while the hilt was held directly in front of him with both hands. Steven was impressed; that stance had no openings that could be exploited, and furthermore, he couldn't tell where his opponent would attack from as the stance held near unlimited possibilities. The two swordsmen studied each other for a long time. Finally Roland made the first move. "Good luck." That was the only thing he said before he charged at Steven.

Steven had barely enough time to marvel at his opponent's speed and grace before he was forced to bring his sword up to parry his opponent's strike. The older man was forced to continuously give ground as his adversary kept up a relentless assault. Steven tried every trick he knew but each of his strikes was met by the strange sword. His opponent moved with a combination of speed, grace, fluidity, agility, accuracy, and power that Steven had never encountered before. The young man had a perfect balance of offence and defense. Suddenly Roland disengaged from the fight and back-flipped away from Steven. Sheathing his sword, he bowed and turned away.

"What are you doing!?" Rasche demanded.

"It's over." Roland said.

"What do you mean?" The young woman, Rina, asked.

"First blood." Roland said as Steven walked over, sheathing his sword.

"Young man, where did you learn to fight like that?" Steven asked, wiping away the blood that was dripping from a shallow cut on his neck.

"Far away." Roland said. "You might want to have that looked at."

"If only we had more knights like you." Steven marveled. "I don't suppose you would consider teaching swordsmanship to our knights?"

Roland shook his head. "Sorry but I don't think that life would suit me very well."

Steven nodded with a sigh. "I understand. Rasche, Rina, you two are excused from patrol duty for tonight. Instead, you will escort this amazing swordsman around the festival."

Rina's eyes lit up. "Oh thank you Uncle Steven! Come on let's go!"

Rasche sighed. "Fine let's go."

"Before you go, I would like to know the name of the only man who ever beat me in single combat." Steven said.

"Roland." Came the reply as the red-clad swordsman set off with his two escorts.

"For one so young, he certainly knows how to handle a sword." Gaston remarked to Steven.

"Indeed." Steven said, "I wonder where he learned that style, I've never seen it before. It certainly caught me off guard. I wish Rasche were half as devoted to his training as that one is." Steven sighed. "But tell me; how did you insult someone like him and live?"

"I made the assumption that he was a citizen of Carnava and asked why he hadn't joined our ranks." Gaston explained "Although with his natural talent, he could have easily become a general, at the very least he would have made the rank of captain."

"Well it is of no consequence." Steven said, "If he had wanted to join us, he would have done so. Let's just let them enjoy the festival."

Just then a page ran up. "Sir Steven, Sir Gaston!"

The two men looked at the page "Yes?" Gaston asked.

"The messenger from the Rev Magical Academy has not arrived at the palace yet, though the messenger is in the city." The page said, "The Queen would like you to organize a searching party and find the messenger."

"Very well." Steven said. "I'll go. Gaston you need to attend to the fireworks."

"I almost forgot!" Gaston exclaimed as he dashed off with the enthusiasm of a man twenty years younger. Steven chuckled as he set off to organize the searching party. Some things never changed.


	2. Chapter 2: The Accident

Roland, Rasche, and Rina strolled through the night shrouded city, enjoying the lights, sounds, and fireworks. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful!?" Rina exclaimed as she gazed in unrestrained awe at the brilliant display of exploding fireworks of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

"Feh!" Rasche snorted, "You see one firework, and you've seen them all."

"Rasche, how can you be so unromantic!?" Rina cried out exasperated.

Roland smirked in the dark at his two companions antics. Suddenly, his awareness skills told him that something large was headed his way, fast. Spinning he caught the flying object which turned out to be a… girl?

"Ouch!" The girl cried out as Roland set her on her feet.

"Heh," Rasche chuckled, "its rainin' girls!"

"Are you alright?" Rina asked.

"I'm fine." The girl said as she turned to Roland, "Perhaps not all knights are as weak as I thought."

"You are incorrect." Roland said. "I am no knight."

"Oh, sorry." The girl said. "Thank you for catching me."

"You're welcome." Roland said studying the girl. She was roughly the same age as Rina, but there the similarities ended. She wore a pink colored sleeveless dress that split at her navel in the front and ended at the back of her knees, ending in a flame motif. The girl had detached pink sleeves of the same design as the dress on her arms, beginning just below her armpits. The girl had dull pink hair that looked as if the tips had been dipped in purple paint. Her hair was held in a stylized split ponytail, with her bangs framing her face. Her leg wear consisted of skintight black pants that had crisscrossing white material wrapped around it, and low cut pink boots with a large white stripe running down the tops. She held a wand that ended on one end with five large pink feathers. "So tell me, do all girls fly in the night or are you a special case?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Ha ha." The girl said sarcastically, "No, he threw me!"

"He?" Rasche asked. "He who?"

Roland suddenly spun around, hand grabbing his sword. "We've got company."

A huge golem was stomping down the deserted street. It stopped a short distance away from the group. "A Golem!" Rina shouted.

Golems were large armored beings with a lot more brute force than intelligence. They stood at a towering height of ten feet tall. They all wore the exact same black bulky armor and carried massive war axes that could fell a six foot thick tree in one swing. They wore round, plumed helmets that had a grilled face shield, and if one were to look into that helm, all one would see would be darkness with two small flames for eyes staring back. Their origins were shrouded in mystery and rumor. As such no one was sure where they came from, or who they served. Golems also possessed immense strength and it usually took at least ten ordinary men to destroy one and even then, the odds were in the Golem's favor.

"Damn!" Rasche cursed, "What's one of those doing here?"

Suddenly a feline, but male voice said "I have business with that witch in training meow."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. "No way!" Rasche exclaimed. "A talking Golem?!"

"I'm down here meow." The voice said indignantly. Everyone looked down to see a small white cat-like figure floating in the air. To Roland, the figure looked more like a toy plushy, than anything to take seriously, but look can be deceiving. Its clothing consisted of a dark purple hooded cloak with a large metal bell at its fastenings. The cloak ended in a design that made it appear more than a little tattered. The hood was long and ended with a crescent moon charm. The hood also had two protrusions stitched on it that looked like cat ears. The figure had small bat like wings that were flapping lazily, keeping the small figure aloft. On its feet, the figure wore dark slippers of the same design as the cloak. In its paws, the figure carried a staff that was taller than it was. The staff was bone white and in the rough shape of a fish skeleton.

"Oh a talking cat." Rasche said "That makes much more sense."

"MEOW! I'm not a cat meow!" The figure angrily protested.

"He's a familiar." Roland said "Probably here in place of his master."

"My name's Josie." The figure said. "And I'm with the Shadow Frost Witch meow."

Rina looked confused. "Why are you here if you're with the Shadow Frost Witch? We've stayed out of the Witch Conflict."

"You're about to join the Brilliant Witch meow!" Josie yelled, "I can't let you do that, so hand over the document, Witch-in-training!"

"Never!" The girl exclaimed. "Miss Dia entrusted me with this document! I'll never let you have it!"

"Then I'll just have to take it meow!" Josie snapped, "Golem go!"

Before anyone could move, Roland acted. Moving quickly, he stepped in front of the girl and raised his hand, pointing his index and middle fingers at the Golem. His voice was calm as he said, "Byakurai." To the amazement and shock of everyone else; a bolt of pale blue-white lightning spat from his fingertips and blasted the Golem off its feet. "MOVE IT!" Roland shouted. "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Rasche and Rina shook themselves out of their stupor and fled down the street. Roland turned and grabbed the girl's hand. "Move it girl!" Roland half pulled, half dragged her down the street.

They quickly caught up to Rasche and Rina. "We can hide in my brother's lab!" Rina said as she led the group into a large official looking building. Panting, Rina threw open the door and the group hurried inside. Rina slammed the door behind them.

Roland turned to the panting girl. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She replied. "But how the heck can you cast lightning!?"

"Yeah! How did you do that?" Rina asked while Rasche gripped his spear.

"Years of practice." Roland answered. "From your expressions, I'd say that male magic wielders are rare around these parts."

The pink haired girl nodded as a voice answered from behind the group. "Yes they are."

Roland whirled around so fast that he was a blur of motion to his companions. The others gasped as his blade appeared in his hand and was at the neck of a young man wearing glasses and a green sleeveless cloak with gold trim and a high collar. The young man was about the same age as Rina, but likely a little older. His outfit consisted of a white button up shirt with a large stripe of green running down the front with gold trim. His pants were black and were covered from the knees down in slim, white armored boots. He had two slim swords sheathed on the back of his waist in such a way that they formed an 'X'. "Who the hell are you?" Roland demanded.

"Brother!" Rina called out joyously as she raced forward and hugged her brother.

Roland lowered his sword but did not sheath it. "Your brother?" He asked.

"Yes, my name is Steiner; Captain of the Stinger Squad and I am Rina's older brother." The young man introduced himself. "And you are who?"

"My name's Althea. I'm the messenger sent by Miss Dia." The pink haired girl said.

"Name's Roland and we've got company." Roland said as he spun around just in time to see the Golem and Josie smash through the door of the Lab. Pieces of the door and wall covered every surface of the Lab.

"MEOW! Hand over that message!" Josie yelled.

"Who the hell are you?!" Steiner demanded.

"He claims to be with the Shadow Frost Witch." Roland said as he readied his blade.

"Why did you destroy my Laboratory?" Steiner demanded furiously.

Josie smirked, "It was collateral damage, meow."

The answer brought Steiner up short. "Collateral damage?" He asked incredulously.

Josie shrugged, "If they hadn't hid in here, I wouldn't have needed to break the wall down." His gaze turned feral. "Now hand over that Witch-in-training and maybe I'll spare the rest of you and your pathetic lab, MEOW!"

"You just made a big mistake." Steiner said with a smirk. "For this lab contains my secret weapon!"

Everyone stared at him. It was Rasche that asked the question. "What secret weapon?

Steiner's smirk grew. "You're about to find out." He turned and pointed at the ground in front of Roland, who had kept one eye on Josie and the Golem, in case they decided to attack during the distraction. "Roland was it? Hand me that large blue synth-lapis by your feet."

"What this thing?" Roland asked as he briefly glanced down at the light blue half sphere about three and a half inches in diameter with the flat end surrounded by a black metal ring, then returned his gaze to Josie. "What the heck is it?"

"It's my secret weapon!" Steiner said proudly. "The Runic Engine!"

"What are you going on about?" Josie asked now slightly worried.

"That device will allow me to harness the power of Magic." Steiner proclaimed.

"You mean like this?" Roland grinned and extended his hand. Steiner gasped as blue-white lightning spat from Roland's hand and blasted the Golem back. "This gizmo is supposed to let you…" He started to say as he knelt down and picked up the Runic Engine, his eyes never leaving Josie and the Golem. He stopped as a blinding white light flashed out of the Runic Engine. At the same time, he felt a burning pain on the back of his left hand. The hand that held the Runic Engine. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" He screamed. "IT'S BURNING! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Impossible!" Steiner exclaimed in undisguised shock. "Why is it reacting to him?!"

As the light faded, everyone stared in shock as Roland looked at the Runic Engine, which was now fused to the back of his left hand. "What the hell?" Roland said as Josie burst into laughter and clutched his stomach in mirth.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Looks like your big secret weapon is a big failure! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Getting control of himself, Josie smirked like the cat that got the cream and the canary. "You have no chance of winning, so hand over the girl meow."

"Want to bet on that, Josie?" Roland grinned like a predator.

"What do you mean by that?" Josie inquired.

"How about a wager?" Roland asked, the smirk never leaving his face.

"A bet?"

"I'll fight your golem here single handedly." Roland proposed. "If you win, then you can have the message no questions asked. As a bonus I'll be dead so no one can stop you. However if I win then you let us go free unmolested. I won't even ask for your death in return."

"HEY!" Althea yelled, "YOU CAN'T MAKE A BET LIKE THAT!"

"Quiet." Roland snapped before addressing the catlike familiar. "Well Josie, how about it?"

"Hmmm." Josie pondered the proposition with a contemplative expression on his whiskered face before grinning. "Agreed. GO GOLEM!"

Roland grinned like a feral cat as he stepped forward to engage the golem. The golem made the first move by swinging its massive war axe at Roland who nimbly jumped aside. Roland countered by cleaving the shaft of the axe in two with a single cut. That single action and the ease with which it was performed left all spectators, Josie included, completely open mouthed in shock. The golem roared and swung the remaining part of the axe at Roland in an overhand chop. To the shock of everyone present, rather than dodge the attack, Roland raised his sword and blocked the strike _with one hand_. The spectators stared; everyone had expected the blade to shatter under the force of the blow, but amazingly, Roland's strange blade did not even move. Even more shocking was the fact that the Golem's arms were shaking as it tried to force its blade down. Roland on the other hand was smirking, his arm was immobile as he held off the Golem's attack like it was nothing. The blade-lock continued for about five seconds before Roland, to the further amazement of the onlookers, swung his sword arm and sent the Golem staggering back. Roland then leaped forward and slashed his armor encased foe, leaving a long slash in the armor from which wisps of black ichor flowed. The armored giant let out a shriek of agony as its life's substance poured from the wound. As Roland landed behind his opponent, the Golem let out a pain infused roar as it whirled around and once again swung the remains of its massive ax, this time at Roland's unprotected back. Rina and Althea let out screams as an incredible amount of dust and debris was kicked up by the impact, forcing the spectators to cover their eyes and covering the two combatants, obscuring them from view. The onlookers gasped at the sight that lay before them as the dust cleared; Roland stood next to the axe blade that was embedded in the floor. The blade appeared to have missed hitting him and separating his arm from his shoulder by no more than an inch. Half of the ax head was completely buried in the floor, so great was the force put into the swing.

"You missed." Roland said as he spun around, leaped up, and severed the golem's head. "I didn't." He stated as the helm fell to the ground. Roland sheathed his sword as the golem's headless body collapsed and both the body and weapon vanished in small explosions of smoke. The only sign that it had ever been there was the black blood that was pooled and splattered on the floor. Roland looked at the stunned Josie, who looked as if he had seen something impossible happen. Roland raised an eyebrow as he addressed the familiar. "I believe we had a bargain, Josie?"

Josie snarled in anger. "Fine! Keep the girl! But I'm telling Fatimeow! You'll be sorry!" He shouted as he flew out the giant hole in the Laboratory's wall and off into the night.

Roland smirked as he sheathed his sword. He'd heard that line before from better and worse opponents than Josie. He snorted at the thought. Just then a scream of uncontrolled rage pierced the newfound piece of the night. Roland whirled around a split second before he was forced to use a wind enhanced back flip to evade an attack from an extremely pissed off Steiner.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He shouted as he landed and drew his sword to defend himself from this new and apparently rage consumed attacker.


	3. Chapter 3: The Rune Knight

"GIVE ME BACK THE RUNIC ENGINE YOU THIEF!" Steiner screamed in fury as he swung his swords at Roland attempting to bisect and behead the young man… only to have both of them knocked out of his hands when Roland quickly moved into Steiner's guard, kick one sword away with tremendous force, and smash the hilt of his own sword onto the back of Steiner's knuckles, causing the sword to fall from nerveless fingers. Roland quickly kicked the dropped sword away and placed his own sword at the enraged Captain's neck. Steiner was now glaring at Roland, although the glare was lessened as Roland's strange sword was digging into his neck enough so that blood was flowing from a shallow cut.

"I didn't steal this thing. I just picked it up and it just fused to my hand. Now tell me how to get this blasted thing off!" Roland snarled, less than pleased at Steiner's lack of control.

"What's going on?!" All eyes turned to see an older man with brown hair, wearing a white lab coat that bore the emblem of Carnava on its left breast pocket walking over to them. The lab coat had a wide high collar and had multiple pockets. Looking at the emblem, Roland identified it to himself as being one that signified its wearer was a member of the Carnavan Queen's Royal Cabinet. A closer look revealed a smaller emblem underneath the Royal one. Roland guessed that the approaching man was the head of the Research and Development department. Like Steiner he wore small round glasses. His brown hair was spiked outwards at the back. His undershirt was similar to Steiner's, but lacked the green stripe and the gold trim. Instead it had pale blue trim. His pants were black and on his feet were black boots. "Steiner what happened here? The Lab looks like a warzone! And why does this young man have his sword pointed at you?"

Roland looked at the man with an expressionless face as he stepped back and sheathed his sword. There was something strange about this man, something not quite right, something off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "To your second question: We were attacked by a Golem which smashed through the wall. It was dealt with. To your first: I am protecting myself. To your third question: This idiot called me a thief and attacked me after _his_ invention fused itself to the back of my hand the moment I picked it up to hand it to him." Roland scowled at Steiner. "Now tell me how to get this blasted thing off me!"

Steiner looked at Roland in shock. "Y-You don't want it?"

Roland's scowl deepened. "Of course not you fool! Why the hell would I want something that's sealing my powers?!"

"What do you mean?" The man in the lab coat asked curiously leaning forward, trying to examine Roland's left hand.

"This gizmo is sealing my magical abilities." Roland sneered at the man, who cowered back. "I'm now only able to draw on one fourth of my magical power. Now get this blasted thing off me!"

Steiner looked worried. "Well… err… I don't know how to…"

"WHAT?!" Roland roared, causing all present to jump. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THIS BLASTED THING OFF?!"

"Well… we could amputate your hand…" The man in the lab coat said hesitantly.

Steiner stared at the man. "That's not a bad idea Wendell."

"You try that and I guarantee that you won't live to regret it." Roland snapped at them. "My magic may be sealed, but I assure you that my sword skills are not."

"Well we need to talk to the Queen about the laboratory being attacked at any rate." Steiner said as he retrieved his swords and sheathed them. "You'll have to come with us so we can go over what exactly happened to get the Shadow Frost Witch's minion to go after you." He turned to Althea and grabbed her arm. "Come with me, witch!"

"Let go of me!" Althea demanded, struggling to break his grip as Steiner pulled her after him.

"Quiet!" Steiner snapped. "It's because of you that my lab was wrecked."

A sword tapped his arm. "Release her." Roland's voice was as icy as a blizzard. Steiner released Althea's arm like he had been burned.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Wendell!" A short and slightly large man ran up to the group as they waited in the throne room. He had a blue hat with large gemstone on and well-tailored clothes with royal emblems on them. He was rather short and his clothes were similar to Wendell's but bore a different emblem under the Royal emblem. He also wore a blue sash around his shoulders and was carrying several scrolls. "Wha-what happened to the Lab?" His voice sounded rather whiny. "Repairs will cost a fortune!"

A well cultured voice cut him off. "Councilor Breuner, control yourself!" All eyes turned to see an older gentleman striding towards them. Roland was immediately on guard. The approaching man walked like a predator stalking its meal, but the man's steps were even more carefully measure then that. Roland instantly knew that this man was most likely an extremely dangerous individual, probably very high up on the Royal Court food chain and not someone to cross lightly. He wore the robes of a royal advisor and carried himself with dignity. He wore the same outfit as Breuner, but on the left side he wore an orange half coat fastened to the other coat. He had a monocle in his left eye and wore a squared orange cap on top of his short grey hair. An equally grey, long, and pointed goatee adorned his chin. His eyes had a hard, piercing look about them. "We shall discuss the budget later. Right now the Queen wishes to speak with the Magic Association's messenger."

Just as he finished speaking, the Queen entered the Throne Room. All people present, save for Roland dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. The Queen frowned slightly as she walked over. Roland examined her with an expressionless face. He could easily see why she was considered a great beauty to her subjects and to the neighboring provinces. Her face was soft and smooth and seemed to ooze elegance and grace. Her eyes were a pair of clear emeralds and almost seemed to sparkle in the light. The Queen wore an elegant yet simple sleeveless white silk dress that would probably cost a good sized fortune. It was low cut exposing some of her rather generous cleavage, but not nearly enough was shown to be considered scandalous. She had elbow length white and silver satin gloves on. Her soft light silver hair was done up in an elaborate bun style, but left two soft bangs free to frame her face. Her crown was more akin to a large stylized silver headband with a white transparent veil covering her hair. A long white and silver cape hung from the back of her collar, thin at the neck, but wide at the bottom. She was very beautiful by any standard but her beauty didn't faze Roland at all.

"Why do you not bow?" The Queen asked Roland as she approached him, looking directly into the young man's eyes. Her steps were as graceful as a professional dancers or even a master swordsman; not a single movement was wasted. Roland would be willing to bet that Queen Sophia was no amateur with a sword.

Roland met her gaze with one of his own. "I am not one of your subjects, Queen Sophia. And what have you done that makes you worthy of being bowed to?"

Steiner's face looked both angry and scandalized at Roland's question. "How dare you commoner?! Bow to the Queen!"

Roland didn't move his gaze from the Queen. "As I asked before: What has she done that makes her worthy of being bowed to?"

Wendell answered rather heatedly. "Why she has done many things! She has decreased taxes, promoted public welfare, increased protection of her citizens-"

Roland cut him off. "She has taken care of her own subjects like any common ruler is supposed to. But what has she done in regards to the Beast Fiends or this Witch Conflict I've heard about?"

Queen Sophia gave a small smile as she sat down on her throne. "Are you a philosopher or a swordsman?"

"Your Majesty, I count myself as nothing more than a man with some skills with a blade and some magical powers." Roland answered, then his face darkened. "Or at least I did until this idiotic invention sealed almost all of my powers!" He then raised his left hand and displayed the Runic Engine. "When I 'acquired' it I had to kill a Golem to get the Shadow Frost Witch's familiar to leave, even though I can now only call on one quarter of my abilities, thanks to this blasted device. And its inventor," He gestured at Steiner, "tells me that he can't remove it without cutting off my hand."

Wendell stepped forward. "But this is not Steiner's fault! We designed the Runic Engine to be permanently bonded with a person. It's not his fault that it bonded with you!"

"Perhaps not." Roland allowed. "But as it has chosen to bond with me, and as I don't want it, as soon as I can figure out a way, I _will_ get it off me."

Just then, Captain Gaston and Steven burst in. "Forgive me, Your Majesty! I only recently received your summons!" Gaston apologized as he and Steven approached. He looked at Roland in surprise. "Roland what are you doing here?!"

Queen Sophia looked at Gaston in shock. "You know this young man, Captain Gaston?"

Both Gaston and Steven nodded as Gaston answered. "Yes, Your Majesty. We met earlier today and I invited him to stay for the festival. Sir Steven allowed Rasche and Rina to be his guides after Roland easily defeated him in single combat."

As everyone present, aside from Althea, looked at Roland with mixtures of shock and respect, Queen Sophia exclaimed. "Sir Steven is one of the greatest swordsmen in Carnava! Did you let him win Sir Steven?"

Steven shook his head. "No Your Majesty. I fought Roland with everything I had, but he defeated me like I was an amateur swinging a stick." He bowed to Roland. "Roland is perhaps the greatest swordsman I've ever met aside from Master Mattias."

"Hey are you just going to ignore me?!" Althea asked in indignantly.

"And you are who?" Queen Sophia asked, turning to the young Witch-in-training.

"My name's Althea, Your Majesty. Miss Dia sent me to give you this message." Althea held out a scroll.

"I'll take that." Steiner snapped, grabbing the scroll. "For all we know it could be cursed."

Althea rolled her eyes. "If it were cursed, I'd most definitely give it to you and not the Queen. I'm sure you would be no great loss." Many people had difficulty concealing their snickers, Roland noticed that Queen Sophia had a mirthful expression on her face and her eyes seemed to sparkle even more as she giggled into her hand. Gaston on the other hand was roaring with undisguised laughter.

Steiner's face grew red with both anger and embarrassment. "Why you little-"

"Control yourself, Captain Steiner." The Queen said, by now all mirth was gone from her face. "Since it is quite clear to me that the scroll is not cursed, please hand it over." Steiner bowed and muttered an apology as he handed her the scroll. The Queen studied it for a minute or so. "So the Magic Association is formally requesting our aid."

"What does the Brilliant Witch want?" The advisor asked.

"She requests that we help her track down the Tide Witch." The Queen frowned. "Apparently the Tide Witch has stolen something from the Magic Association and gone into hiding."

"Why should we help the Witches?" Breuner demanded. "It won't help our budget and what have they done for us?"

"Hey without magic, you wouldn't have any of the technologies that you rely on to live comfortably!" Althea exclaimed.

"She is right." Queen Sophia acknowledged. "And the Brilliant Witch has offered, in return for our aid in this, to aid us against the Beast Fiends."

"But we have no one to spare!" Breuner protested. "Even if we wanted to, we just can't send anybody."

"I think I have an idea." The Advisor said with a thoughtful look.

"Please tell us what your idea is Advisor Grimm." The Queen invited with a gesture.

"Why not hire this man?" Grimm asked, gesturing to Roland. "He is a master swordsman if he can defeat Sir Steven with ease and he did drive off one of the Shadow Frost Witch's minions. And he killed a Golem in the process, a feat that usually takes at least ten soldiers to accomplish. And he appears to have skills with magic. I see no reason not to hire him and send him to be our negotiator to the Rev Magic Association."

The Queen nodded thoughtfully. "Your idea has merit." She turned to Roland. "What say you Roland? Will you work for me as a Rune Knight?"

Roland looked thoughtful for a few moments before shrugging, "Why not? But what's the pay?"

The Queen laughed. "Your pay will be equal to that of Captain Gaston."

"B-But the budget!" Breuner stuttered in protest.

"Breuner please control yourself. We have more than enough to pay this extraordinary person a Captain's pay." The Queen said gently, but forcefully enough to effectively silence any arguments from her Financial Councilor.

Roland looked at Breuner with a critical eye before turning back to Queen Sophia. "You are wise to surround yourself with honest and trustworthy councilors and advisors, Your Majesty."

The Queen looked slightly confused. "Thank you for your kind words Rune Knight Roland. But could you please clarify your statement."

Roland gestured at Breuner and Grimm. "These two are perhaps the most honest people I've ever met who hold high positions in a royal court. Their actions and words tell me that they have not a shred of corruption in them."

"Thank you for your kind words Rune Knight." Advisor Grimm bowed while Breuner seemed to puff up a little at the praise.

"Please call me Roland. I'm not really one for formality."

Steiner then spoke up, venom was dripping from his tone. "But we cannot send this _Rune Knight_ alone to the Magic Association. I will go with him and monitor-"

"No." Breuner interrupted him with an emphatic shake of his head. "The budget won't allow another with a Captain's pay to leave. And you have to stay here and help with the repairs to your laboratory."

Steiner scowled. "But he-"

Gaston interrupted his fellow Captain forcefully. "Enough, Steiner. The Runic Engine chose Roland, not you. Be a man and face facts."

Steiner's scowl deepened, obviously not liking the chastisement he was receiving from a fellow Captain. "But we cannot let someone who we know nothing about handle delicate negotiations with the Witches! And besides, we need to monitor how the Runic Engine functions. We need to send someone to accompany him."

"Then I would suggest these two." Roland indicated Rasche and Rina, "I've seen their skills and I believe they are competent fighters. Their skills would likely prove more useful to me than they would be here. And their level of control is much better than _some_ people I've met in Carnava." Roland sent a glare at Steiner, the emphasis on the word 'some' was missed by no one.

"Hmmm." Queen Sophia considered the request with a contemplative expression, stroking her chin as she did so before nodding. "Very well. Rasche and Rina shall accompany you."

Roland nodded. "We shall leave first thing tomorrow morning, Your Majesty."

"Thank you. As you are the only person who has defeated Sir Steven in single combat, perhaps you would consider training the two of them?" The Queen inquired. Rasche and Rina glanced at each other before looking at Roland, curious as to what his response would be.

Roland smirked. "I see that you are well aware of how pitiful your Knights are as fighters Your Majesty."

The Queen nodded with a sad sigh. "Unfortunately you are all too correct. Our soldiers are not nearly as strong as they should be."

Roland let loose a sigh of his own as he shook his head. "I'm no teacher." Rasche and Rina looked disheartened. "But…" The two looked back up. "If Rasche and Rina pick up a few things while traveling with me, well now I can't really help that now can I?" He smirked again as laughter rang throughout the Throne Room.


End file.
